diff --git a/piker/clearing/_messages.py b/piker/clearing/_messages.py
index 61579787..126cd347 100644
--- a/piker/clearing/_messages.py
+++ b/piker/clearing/_messages.py
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ class BrokerdOrder(Struct):
     account: str
     time_ns: int
 
-    symbol: str  # fqsn
+    symbol: str  # fqme
     price: float
     size: float
 
diff --git a/piker/data/_sampling.py b/piker/data/_sampling.py
index 61ec72cb..20bf9b49 100644
--- a/piker/data/_sampling.py
+++ b/piker/data/_sampling.py
@@ -618,10 +618,10 @@ async def sample_and_broadcast(
             ] = bus.get_subs(sub_key)
 
             # NOTE: by default the broker backend doesn't append
-            # it's own "name" into the fqsn schema (but maybe it
+            # it's own "name" into the fqme schema (but maybe it
             # should?) so we have to manually generate the correct
             # key here.
-            fqsn = f'{broker_symbol}.{brokername}'
+            fqme = f'{broker_symbol}.{brokername}'
             lags: int = 0
 
             # TODO: speed up this loop in an AOT compiled lang (like
@@ -640,7 +640,7 @@ async def sample_and_broadcast(
                             # pushes to the ``uniform_rate_send()`` below.
                             try:
                                 stream.send_nowait(
-                                    (fqsn, quote)
+                                    (fqme, quote)
                                 )
                             except trio.WouldBlock:
                                 overruns[sub_key] += 1
@@ -672,7 +672,7 @@ async def sample_and_broadcast(
                                         raise trio.BrokenResourceError
                         else:
                             await stream.send(
-                                {fqsn: quote}
+                                {fqme: quote}
                             )
 
                     if cs.cancelled_caught:
diff --git a/piker/data/cli.py b/piker/data/cli.py
index cee729e5..59db1037 100644
--- a/piker/data/cli.py
+++ b/piker/data/cli.py
@@ -184,10 +184,10 @@ def storage(
             symbol = symbols[0]
             async with open_tsdb_client(symbol) as storage:
                 if delete:
-                    for fqsn in symbols:
+                    for fqme in symbols:
                         syms = await storage.client.list_symbols()
 
-                        resp60s = await storage.delete_ts(fqsn, 60)
+                        resp60s = await storage.delete_ts(fqme, 60)
 
                         msgish = resp60s.ListFields()[0][1]
                         if 'error' in str(msgish):
@@ -199,15 +199,15 @@ def storage(
                             # well, if we ever can make this work we
                             # probably want to dogsplain the real reason
                             # for the delete errurz..llululu
-                            if fqsn not in syms:
-                                log.error(f'Pair {fqsn} dne in DB')
+                            if fqme not in syms:
+                                log.error(f'Pair {fqme} dne in DB')
 
-                            log.error(f'Deletion error: {fqsn}\n{msgish}')
+                            log.error(f'Deletion error: {fqme}\n{msgish}')
 
-                        resp1s = await storage.delete_ts(fqsn, 1)
+                        resp1s = await storage.delete_ts(fqme, 1)
                         msgish = resp1s.ListFields()[0][1]
                         if 'error' in str(msgish):
-                            log.error(f'Deletion error: {fqsn}\n{msgish}')
+                            log.error(f'Deletion error: {fqme}\n{msgish}')
 
     trio.run(main)